the mind
the MIND
NO matter what. it is my belief to be a TRUE winner/champion does not come from trophies ribbons etc
it comes from the the believing in ones self
having the intestinal fortitude to delve deep and acknowledge those short comings
i could go on about this but that is the SECRET

This is an interesting topic. I have trained with four UFC fighters, one of whom is my nephew. None have yet achieved the highest levels of competition (yet) but all are great examples of the kinds of fighters that can make it to the biggest stage in MMA competition.

I taught my nephew as a little gaffer, he was no more than three when he started classes. It was obvious he was athletic, he was also aggressive. He had the “killer instinct.”He was teachable, he wanted more information and would work harder than anyone else in all drills, games, and conditioning exercises. He was also courageous. He wanted to beat the bigger kids, because that is where the challenge was. He did not seem to look at a bigger kid without at least some fear, but whatever fear he had he seemed turn it into fuel to push him further.

All of these qualities are important, and without one or the other it is doubtful he would have enjoyed the success he has had. There were other kids who were just as athletic; there were some who were as aggressive. Some were fearless to a point of reckless, but I don’t know of many that were all of these things combined AND teachable.

Teachable is tough to maintain when you are getting by just being tougher or stronger. In the case of my nephew he was smaller growing up, so maybe learning technique was more obviously important to him in order to be competitive. Teachable is also the ability to see. Bruce Lee reportedly could see a technique once, and know it. Great combat athletes similarly seem to be able to understand movement even before they can do it. This helps them make the melee of violent sport a more comfortable place. When a person can quickly make sense of and react to unpredictable events it creates an ability to be spontaneous and creative.

I know that desire is a big part of the equation in building a world class athlete. My nephew lives like a monk, renting a room in a condo, he doesn’t own a TV, he never parties or lives lavishly when training, and for him this means most of the year he is living like a monk. It takes a great deal of sacrifice to give up so many things to take a shot at something that is so difficult to achieve. He is willing, and is actually giving all of his life, and life’s energy to achieve a goal that he committed to. This discipline is rooted in his work ethic to do the work needed to be great.

Based on the example of my nephew and the other UFC fighters I have trained with, I have distilled what I think are some of the key elements that must exist to get to the highest level of combat sports.

Athleticism (Timing, strength, reflexes, endurance, durability, speed)
Aggression, (killer instinct)
Desire (Love of the game, and passion to be the best)
Teachable (A mind for combat and the humility to learn)
Discipline (Willingness and ability to sacrifice and to do what is needed to achieve- a work ethic to do the job no matter what the distraction)
Courageous (Willingness to risk failing, and to deal with fear appropriately)

I doubt this list is exhaustive, nor may it be entirely correct, but I suspect it is a start to understanding the differences between the best and the very best.